Teaching offers new career track but too few jobs

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Aug 30, 2009 at 12:01 AMAug 30, 2009 at 9:32 AM

DALLAS -- Paul Washington oversaw hundreds of employees in the auto industry and navigated the finicky retail market for Target. Now, he's taking on a much more daunting task: teaching history to eighth-graders.

DALLAS -- Paul Washington oversaw hundreds of employees in the auto industry and navigated the finicky retail market for Target. Now, he's taking on a much more daunting task: teaching history to eighth-graders.

Washington, who started work this month at Stafford Middle School in Frisco, Texas, is among a cadre of professionals leaving corporations for classrooms as the economy continues to wallow and frustrated employees reconsider career trajectories.

School districts nationwide are reporting a rise in these applicants, though they are having almost as much difficulty finding a job in this field as in their previous one. Slim opportunities have them vying against trained teachers and reinvigorating the debate between real-life expertise and experience in education.

The New Teacher Project, a national organization that trains midcareer professionals for the classroom, said applications for its summer training programs were up by an average of 29 percent.

"Whenever people get laid off, we have an influx of candidates," said Chris Kanouse, director of teacher preparation and certification for the state Education Service Center for North Texas.

"But it has been difficult for individuals who think it's going to be an easy transition into the teaching world when that world isn't opening positions like they used to."

Educators say not all professionals can transfer their skills to a chalkboard.

"Some people believe teaching is easier than it is," Kanouse said. "They look back at when they loved school and the three to four teachers they liked. This is a serious, steep learning curve, and not everyone is suited to teach."

But Kanouse said they recognize this by the time they start teaching. They've completed their required coursework and observation. And these new teachers also are likely to stay in the field, she said.

"When people make this career change, they're doing it because it is important to them. Someone in midcareer is probably going to be there much longer than someone who is younger who transitions into teaching."

Training and passion are important elements in teacher quality, but they don't determine effectiveness, said Kate Walsh, president of the Washington-based National Council on Teacher Quality.

"You can't point to a study that shows that a teacher who has gone through traditional training is better than one who didn't," she said. "I'd argue that neither are doing a good job. We do know that being smarter matters. If you perform high, the chances of having high student achievement increases."

But a teacher's specific training doesn't matter.

"It's all about the connection with kids, which is not necessarily someone who is touchy-feely," she said. "It's someone who holds you to a higher standard."

That connection is what had Chad Davis staring intensely at an overhead projector screen during Frisco's new-teacher training session.

The 38-year-old re-evaluated his priorities when his finance company folded last year.

"I wanted something more rewarding," said Davis, who had spent 12 years in commodities and business management. He'll teach business and computers this fall at Frisco's Centennial High School.

"A lot of kids lack the knowledge to make financial decisions," he said. "I want them to have something they can rely on throughout life."

The bell rang for the next session, but he hung back as the cafeteria cleared.

Like any new teacher, he said, "I'm worried about getting it right."

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